Senate committee approves directors appointed by Quinn

Wednesday

Oct 28, 2009 at 12:01 AMOct 28, 2009 at 12:17 PM

State senators moved forward Wednesday with approving several appointees to Gov. Pat Quinn's Cabinet. The Senate Executive Appointments Committee on Wednesday easily approved several directors of top agencies, including Michael Randle at the Department of Corrections, Michelle Saddler at the Department of Human Services and James Sledge at the Department of Central Management Services.

State Capitol Bureau

State senators moved forward Wednesday with approving several appointees to Gov. Pat Quinn's Cabinet.

The Senate Executive Appointments Committee easily approved several directors of top agencies under Quinn, including Michael Randle at the Department of Corrections, Michelle Saddler at the Department of Human Services and James Sledge at the Department of Central Management Services.

Republican senators praised Randle, who took over the top prison job in June, for his commitment to keep open the supermax prison at Tamms in deep southern Illinois despite complaints of inhumane treatment of inmates.

Randle said the department has started a 10-point reform plan to improve conditions and ease restrictions at Tamms, home to the worst of the worst offenders. But he sees it as an essential part of maintaining control of the state's prison system.

"Because Tamms exists, the other 27 prisons in this state are safer," Randle told senators.

The appointments of Randle and the other directors now head to the full Senate for consideration.

Randle said after the meeting the department expects to start the early release of about 1,000 non-violent offenders after the first of November but is in no rush to get those inmates out the door.

"We have been diligent in our dealings with these cases to make sure they meet the criteria that were laid out," Randle said. "It's more important to do it the right way."